COORDINATOR’S OFFICE

Lisbon Forum on Innovative Approaches to ICT in Education

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This upcomig 18th and 19th of June, the Lisbon Congress Centre hosts the Lisbon Forum on Innovative Approaches to ICT in Education.

The Portuguese Ministry of Education in association with Cisco, Intel and Microsoft, hosts the Lisbon Forum on Innovative Approaches to ICT in Education. This Forum aims at sharing examples of best practices whilst promoting networking among scholar’s doing research in this area.
Participation is free, limited only by the capacity of the auditorium. Registration is needed.
Source: PTE
More information and online application available at www.escola.gov.pt/forum

Welcome to the First Annual Carnegie Mellon | Portugal Conference

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The First Annual Carnegie Mellon | Portugal Conference, entitled “Economy 3.0: Re-Boot and Re-Connect” is sponsored by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and will take place on June 22, 2009, at Palácio da Bolsa, Porto, Portugal.

The current financial crisis has casted some doubt on the existing economic model. Rather than re-booting the system, leaders around the world must re-connect and work towards the growth of global innovation networks, capable of providing robust and sustainable solutions for our common future.

In this context, information and communication technologies have no doubt an important role to play, not only because they remove both geographic and cultural barriers, but also because they are basic building blocks in the search for technical solutions that ensure a more intelligent use of the resources of our planet (e.g. smart grids, vehicular networks, precision agriculture, etc.) and of the talents of our people (workflow software, social networks, personalized contents, etc.). Any increase in competitive advantage is necessarily tied to our ability to lead this search in focused areas of technological innovation. The goal of this conference is to identify some of these areas, from basic research to applications, actively promoting the formation of industrial and academic consortia capable of meeting the challenges of Economy 3.0.

The program includes:
• keynote address by Prof. Marvin Sirbu, Carnegie Mellon University
• presentation of a strategic document on the key focused areas of our program and announcement of the next open call for proposals
• research talks by CarnegieMellon|Portugal faculty, researchers and MS/PhD students
• technical contributions by our industrial affiliates
• first results and demos by all teams of ongoing research projects
• welcome and closing addresses by senior government officials
• networking opportunities for students, faculty, researchers and industrial affiliates

In addition, we are organizing a Summer Academy for CarnegieMellon|Portugal students and industrial partners, to take place June 23-25, 2009.

Website: http://www.cmuportugal.org/conference2009/
Blog: http://cmuportugal.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cmuportugal/

Students and Alumni should register and submit their poster topics until June 12, 2009.
All other participants please register until June 15, 2009.
Source: Carnegie Mellon Portugal (www.cmuportugal.org)

Figures for Portuguese personal computer market show greatest increase in Western Europe

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Portuguese market for Personal Computers in 2008 showed the greatest increase among Western European countries.

According to the report issued yesterday by the consulting firm IDC, the Portuguese Personal Computer market (laptops and desktops) in 2008 showed the greatest increase in Western Europe with growth on the line of 58.8% in relation to 2007 and far over the overall figure for Western Europe which came in at about 16.8%.
Also in 2008, 1.33 million laptops were sold in Portugal, making up 81% of all personal computers sold. This figure places Portugal as the Western European country where most laptops are sold proportionally. In 2008 alone, the laptop market in Portugal grew 85.6% as compared to 2007.
According to IDC, among some of the forces driving up demand for PCs in the Portuguese domestic and business market are the E-School and E-Escolhina programs, initiatives from the Technological Plan that are aiming toward greater mass-use of computers and the broadband Internet and are trying to reduce the effects of digital exclusion.
* http://www.idc.com/portugal/press/pr_2009-02-12.jsp
Source: Office of the National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan – GCNELPT

Portuguese Government and Sun-Microsystems sign protocols

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Portugal – Sun Microsystems Accord, within the scope of the Technological Plan, will enable 2 million Portuguese citizens to have access to specialized training on the Internet and will strengthen the internationalization of research efforts in Portugal.

Portugal once again is a pioneer in a partnership in broad, significant research efforts.
After signing on to partnerships for knowledge with such prominent companies as Microsoft, Cisco, Xerox and Toshiba, and following a first protocol signed with SUN Microsystems, Portugal has succeeded – via the Technological Plan and with involvement from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Ministry of the Economy – in signing two protocols that will allow millions of Portuguese citizens to have access to specialized Net training in addition to developing a new thematic branch of Research.

More information is available at www. pt.sun.com/sai
Source: Office of the National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan – GCNELPT

New data from surveys on the Information Society in Portugal 2008

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Publication on-line on the latest compilation of data on the Information Society in Portugal.

The latest compilation of data on the Information Society in Portugal was published on February 9, 2009, with the results of various surveys conducted in 2008 on the responsibility of public entities. Integrated publication of data annually was begun in 2006.
The published data include chronological series since the beginning of the systematic phase of the respective surveys and bench-markings of the various indicators within the European Union based on EUROSTAT data. Included in the set of recently-published data are the results of surveys carried out in collaboration with Statistics Portugal (INE) and by UMIC – The Knowledge Society Agency on the use of Information Technologies and Communication (ITC) by families and businesses for the first quarter of 2008 and focusing on the population of 16 to 74 years of age and on the use of ITC in hospitals related to June of 2008. Partial syntheses by Statistics Portugal have already been published although this is the first global publication of the data from these surveys. Also included are: data on electronic communications obtained by ANACOM relative to the 3rd quarter of 2008, the data from the surveys performed by GPEARI of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education regarding university-level education and ITC for the 2007-2008 academic year, and the data for three surveys done by UMIC on the usage of ITC by governmental entities (the central and regional governments and city halls) for the period of September-November 2008.
More on this at www.umic.pt

Conference to Open European Year of Creativity and Innovation held in Portugal

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Belém Cultural Centre was the site of the formal opening of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation in Portugal, presided over by Carlos Zorrinho, National Coordinator of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation and Margarida Marques, Chief Representative of the European Commission in Portugal.

The morning session featured the presence of Don Tapscoot who spoke on the theme of “Governance 2.0: How the Internet generation is changing governance, innovation and democracy.”
The afternoon was dedicated to good practices with respect to the application of creativity and Innovation and featured a series of speakers.
The first panel discussion was moderated by Arminda Neves, Assistant Coordinator of the Office of the National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan, which focused on the theme of "Learning, Inventing, Imagining, Cooperating" and featured the presence of Leonel Moura – Artist, and Portuguese representative at the launch of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation, Dulce Maria Santa Marta Soure – Head Mistress at the Rafael Bordalo Secondary School, Elvira Fortunato – Director of CENIMAT – Materials Science Research Centre at FCT/ UNL, Associate Laboratory I3N – Institute of Nanotechnologies, Nanomaterials and Nanosciences, Teresa Ricou – Director of Chapitô and Manuel Brandão Alves – Professor Catedrático at ISEG.
The second panel, moderated by Alexandra Sá Carvalho representing the European Commission, focused on the theme of “Communicating, Creating, Making It Happen, Living” and featured the presence of Augusto Mateus, Professor at ISEG, Nuno Gaioso Ribeiro, President of N-Partners, Jorge Cerveira Pinto – of the INOVA Agency, António Câmara, CEO of Ydreams, António Cunha, Dean of the School of Engineering at the Universidade do Minho and Júlio Mendes, Town Councillor in the City Hall of Guimarães.
All information and material on the Opening Conference of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation is available for consultation at http://criar2009.gov.pt
Source: Office of the National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan – GCNELPT

Portugal moves up 5 places in European Ranking for Innovation

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The “European Innovation Scoreboard 2008”, released today by the European Commission in Brussels, placed Portugal higher in its ranking, moving up from 22nd to 17th position in the EU27. This improved ranking is due to results of the Technological Plan and translates into a growth rate for innovation indicators twice that of the European average. Portugal was fifth amongst those countries which most improved their position in the EU27.
Especially responsible for this remarkable jump was the excellent improvement seen in the indicators regarding human resource training, an area where Portugal figured as the country which showed the most progress. According to the report released today, Portugal was in the 5th position of European countries whose indicators for the economic effects of innovation most improved.
These results were made possible by the determination of the public policies expressed in the Technological Plan and by the mobilization of the whole of Portuguese society. Contributing significantly to this mobilization was the partnership between the Portuguese Government, COTEC Portugal – the Business Association for Innovation, and the Commitment to Innovation, with impact seen in investment, registry models and monitoring of innovation in Portugal.
Useful Links
European Innovation Scoreboard 2008
http://www.proinno-europe.eu/
European Innovation Scoreboard 2007
http://www.proinno-europe.eu/admin/uploaded_documents/European_Innovation_Scoreboard_2007.pdf
European Innovation Scoreboard 2006
http://www.proinno-europe.eu/doc/EIS2006_final.pdf

MBA with MIT for top managers begins classes in Lisbon

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Lisbon MBA begins classes in conjunction with the Sloan School of Management
The School of Economics at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, the School of Economic and Business Sciences at the Portuguese Catholic University and the Sloan School of Management at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) have begun the classes in their joint MBA program set to draw in top managers, signing an agreement in a ceremony in which the Prime Minister, José Sócrates, and the Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago, participated.
The beginning of this program called “The Lisbon MBA” represents the final chapter of a process more than three years in the making, and one situated within the scope of the Government’s Technological Plan which aims to bring Portuguese institutions of higher education, science and technology, MIT and Portuguese businesses together. The program was begun in 2005 with various phases of analysis and evaluation performed by MIT, with their findings later made public.
“The Portuguese Government’s commitment to strengthen Science and Technology and promote international cooperation in higher education makes Portugal a very interesting country for conducting research and a relevant partner for future partnerships in the field of economics and emergent research,” MIT said.
In preparing the program, sustained support from a group of public and private entities was secured, guaranteeing the adequate financing and institutional involvement to meet the demands of quality and ambition that the program requires. The first group of firms that have committed their support include BANCO BPI, BANCO ESPIRITO SANTO, CAIXA GERAL DE DEPÓSITOS, EDP - ENERGIAS DE PORTUGAL, FUNDAÇÂO VODAFONE PORTUGAL, JOSÉ DE MELLO SGPS and REDE ELECTRICA NACIONAL.
Classes will be given in Lisbon with the active participation of the Sloan School of Management at MIT, where students will take part in short intensive sessions during their studies. The 32 students in the program’s first group hail from 6 countries: Brazil, China, the United States, France, India and Portugal. More than 300 managers are expected to go through the program in the next 5 years. The number of foreign students will increase gradually until reaching 50% of the total number of students after the 5th year when the enrolment is expected to be about 100 students annually.
The institutions involved in the Lisbon MBA are aiming to have the program classified as one of the top 100 within five years, thus turning Portugal into a well-known destination in the global circuit of MBAs.
Source: Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education

New Generation Networks: Government and operators sign agreement

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Fiber optics to reach 1.5 million home by the end of 2009
The Portuguese government, telecom operators (ONI, PT, Sonaecom and Zon), the Telecommunications Business Association (ACIST-AET) and the Portuguese Association for Communications Development (APDC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement on Wednesday, January 4th for the implementation of a New Generation Networks (fiber optics) which should reach 1.5 million homes by the end of 2009.
During the event, which took place at the Portuguese Communications Foundation, the Prime Minister José Sócrates noted that the signing of this protocol was his first measure to aid in the current economic crisis given the effect its creation will have on employment and the speeding up of investment. The Prime Minister announced fiscal incentives for new generation networks and for the customers of these networks.
Mário Lino, the Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications, also participating in the ceremony, noted that investment in telecommunications networks is one of the pillars of the Technological Plan and that new generation networks specifically represent a strategic area for investment in response to the present financial crisis.
For their part, operators applauded this initiative as an example of work that represents a “turning point for telecommunications structures in Portugal.”

Source: Office of the National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan – GCNELPT

Investment in R&D increasing in Portugal

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Portugal is the EU country with the greatest increase in Research and Development expenditures
According to EUROSTAT, Portugal was the European country where expenditures in Research Development (R&D) grew the most between 2005 and 2007. For Portugal, this type of expenditure as a percentage of GDP grew about 46%, quite a bit over the European average, which increased just under 1% in the same period.
The release last Friday of provisional data on the Survey of National Scientific and Technological Potential (IPCTN) for 2007, prepared by the Office for Planning and Statistics - GPEARI at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education (MCTES), allows us to confirm the increase in R&D spending, notably within businesses which more than doubled their expenditures in the reference period (reaching 0.61% of GDP and 988 M€ in 2007) and for the first time went beyond the total spending in R&D for other institutions. The data show a never before seen increase in Portugal of the number of businesses engaging in R&D activities, going from the figure of about 930 in 2005 to more than 1,500 in 2007, which reflects not only the effort on the part of the private sector to keep abreast of scientific developments and the technological capacities which Portugal possesses but also the political priority set by the Portuguese Government with respect to supporting scientific and technological development, hailed as their “Commitment to Science.”

Source: Office of the National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan – GCNELPT

Technological Plan highlighted at CIAPEM 2008

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

CIAPEM to be held in Acapulco, Mexico from October 1-3, 2008.
The organization of CIAPEM 2008, one of the largest Ibero-Latin American conferences on information technology and communication featuring more than 5,000 individual participants and hundreds of businesses, will include a session for the presentation and discussion of the Portuguese Technological Plan, recognized as a good practice for the promotion of the Information and Knowledge Society.
As part of this event, the National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan, Carlos Zorrinho, will give a presentation on Oct 1st entitled, “Bridging the Digital Divide to Connect People to Innovation,” a talk given upon invitation from the Governor of Guerrero State, Mexico and in coordination with AICEP – Portugal Global.
As part of his official visit to Mexico, the National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan will participate in the inauguration of the Exhibit to take place at the same time as the Conference, bringing together the Portuguese firms present and representatives from the Mexican Government in charge of the digital agenda of that country.
Source: Office of the National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan – GCNELPT

Portuguese Government and Xerox Portugal sign Memo of Understanding

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ursula Burns, President of the Xerox Corporation, will be in Lisbon on Friday to participate in the signing ceremony of a Memo of Understanding between the Portuguese Government and Xerox Portugal.
Xerox Portugal tomorrow signs a Memo of Understanding with the Portuguese Government. This memorandum, which will involve the four Ministries of Economy and Innovation, Education, Science and Technology, and Finance, is intended to promote digital literacy and business innovation in order to spark economic competitiveness, contribute to employability and develop the information society in Portugal.
Xerox is responding pro-actively as an innovative company with respect to the objectives of the Technological Plan, contributing to greater investment to the development and qualification of Research and Development human resources in Portugal and abroad.
Research centers in Palo Alto (PARC), Grenoble (EuroParc) and at Fuji Xerox have tens of thousands of registered patents and have assured the constant renewal of our products and solutions available on the market.
Some of these solutions will be available to support key programs of the Technological Plan and the administrative Modernization Programs in terms of office solutions, the digital press and document management.
Progress made in partnerships with the Portuguese Government
This protocol – to be signed by the Minister of Economy and of Innovation and by the Coordinator of the Technological Plan representing the Portuguese Government, and the by the General Director Portugal and the World President of the Xerox Corporation – features various partnership projects with some of Portugal’s main ministries.
With the Ministry for the Economy and Innovation, Xerox will participate in the “InovContacto” Program in which it will hire recent university graduates to work in their R&D centers.
In the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration, the programs will be more geared toward developing training sessions in Lean Six Sigma for managers/executives in the government.
At the Ministry of Education, ITC Academies will be developed in secondary schools and other professional training institutions; Xerox will participate in ITC Internship Programs as well.
With respect to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, the protocol aims to promote the development of ITC Academies as part of the UMIC – The Knowledge Society Agency’s ITC Academies Project.
Also part of the protocol is the Solutions Village, a Skills Centre which will provide Xerox Portugal with a space where the history of the brand as well as all its technology, solutions and available services can be put on display. The creation of Solutions Village follows through on the Research & Development strategy of Xerox Portugal which aims to provide customers and partners with the most recent innovations and new technology, offering personalized services just right for each client which will open up new business possibilities.
For Miranda Clara, Director General of Xerox Portugal, “the importance of innovation and human resources training and qualification as a way of bringing about economic growth in a country like Portugal is one of the main objectives of Xerox Portugal, and thus we intend to support the Portuguese Government in executing its Technological Plan in order to increase productivity, competitiveness and growth in our country.” Miranda Clara also noted that “this is also an excellent opportunity for companies to train their managers, enabling them to master certain technologies that are at the forefront of the global economy.”
For Carlos Zorrinho, Coordinator of the Technological Plan, “the signing of this memorandum confirms once again that large international companies are interested in Portugal’s technological potential and in being associated with a movement for change and the better qualification of workers that is occurring in Portuguese society.”

Lisbon, 25 September 2008
Source: Office of the National Coordinator of the Lisbon Strategy and the Technological Plan – GCNELPT

Magalhães computer has arrived at schools

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The delivery of the first 3,000 Magalhães laptop computers to children at elementary schools in 16 counties throughout the country began yesterday with yet another bit of good news: the government “e-school” program enabling access to computers and the Internet will be expanded to take in students in the 5th and 6th grades.
The announcement of the expansion of the e-school program was made by the Prime Minister who was in Matosinhos in person for the distribution of the laptops to children at the Padre Manuel de Castro Primary School in São Mamede de Infesta. José Sócrates went on to say that with this broadening of the program all students from the 1st to the 4th grade will have access to a computer with the Magalhães laptop and the e-school project for students in the 7th to 12th grades.
Eleven members of the Government were on hand at events when the laptops were given out: namely the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education, the Minister of Public Works and Parliamentary Affairs, the Coordinator of the Technological Plan and eight other Secretaries of State who were present at various schools throughout the country to mark the beginning of the program of making access to new technologies more egalitarian.
The Coordinator of the Technological Plan, who travelled to the Hélia Correia Primary School in Mafra, stated that in 2010 there would be one computer for every two students, making Portuguese schools some of the best-equipped in the world.
In Portugal, the current ration of students to computer is 11.3 to 1. This figure will be brought down progressively, and by the end of the year it should be 5:1 in order to reach the goal of 2:1 in 2010.
The Magalhães laptop is manufactured in Portugal in a partnership with Intel. Cost to the student ranges from no-cost to 50 Euros, depending on his/her need-level: students on Need Scale A will receive the computer for free, those on Need Scale B will pay 20 Euros and those not eligible to participate in the Need Scale funding will pay 50 Euros.
These shock-resistant and water-proof computers with Internet access are being manufactured at new facilities set up by the international company Intel at the Portuguese firm JP Sá Couto, located in Matosinhos.

More information is available at
www.portugal.gov.pt
Learn more about the e-school and e-escolinha programs
http://eescola.pt/indexA.aspx
Learn more about Magalhães
www.iniciativa-magalhaes.com
Source: GCNELPT

Portugal to lead Iberian-American project to deal with the processes of dematerialization

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Alberto Costa, Minister of Justice, and his counterparts from Costa Rica, Chile, Peru, Panama and Argentina came to an accord that Portugal will coordinate with Brazil for the implementation of a pilot project in the field of new technologies for the area of Justice in these countries. This is due to the fact that Portugal has had experience with the Citius project and has made progress in terms of simplification and dematerialization in the area of legal registries/services in Portugal, namely with respect to On the Spot Firm, the Citizen Card, the Nascer Cidadão registry and the House Ready service for home buyers/sellers.
Given the interest of Latin American countries in these projects/services on offer in Portugal – particularly with respect to what is possible in the area of Justice, paperless processes, the digitalization of registries, electronic communications and notifications, the use of video conferencing and the creation of computer applications for the management of judicial offices/services – the 16th Conference of Ministers of Justice of Iberian-American Countries gave its approval that Portugal should be in charge of the exchange of information via the Internet, organize gatherings with experts in the field, and give follow-up support to the countries seeking to implement these new technologies into their current systems.
The Conference ends today here in the Costa Rican capital of San José.
A happening of note from the second day of the conference was the approval of the Budget Proposal and Action Plan for the biennial 2009-2010 with particular focus on the areas of reform in the field of Justice, strengthening and exchange of judicial cooperation networks, reform of the prison systems and the fight against international organized crime.
Source: Ministry of Justice

Volume of business in Services and IT increases

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The volume of business in services and information technology (IT) increased 13% in 2007 as compared to the previous, a new study by the IDC reveals.
According to the report entitled “Competitive Analysis of the Services and IT Market in Portugal”, this market segment reached a business volume of 1.971 billion Euros last year. The study analyzed more than 300 technology companies in the country, representing 95% of the market in TI, Telecommunications and Electronics Consumption, and reveals that the largest part of its business volume stems from IT support, which includes services in consulting and implementation, outsourcing and support and training.
In relation to companies, IBM leads the ranking of companies with the largest business volume, followed by Lógica, Novabase and Accenture. However, these figures may be different in the coming year, as the Research and Consulting Director of IDC, Gabriel Coimbra notes that “for 2008, the merger of Pararede and Consiste, the acquisition of Tecnidata by Reditus, and the purchase of EDS by HP will certainly produce some marked changes in the positioning of the main companies in the market.”

In the last year Portugal was ranked 5th among European Union countries and 18th in the world (among 198 countries) for technology utilisation to improve Electronic Government.

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

According to the report* published on 19 August by the Brookings Governance Studies, Portugal has maintained its excellent performance in the improvements introduced in Electronic Government in the last year. It stands in 18th place in the world and 5th in the European Union.

This report evaluates the annual dynamics in 12 characteristics of electronic government websites in each country. It closely follows the Brown University methodology in which Portugal is considered the second country in Europe and the seventh in the world for progress made between 2006 and 2007.  
The combined figures, together with Portugal’s classification as the country with the 3rd most available and sophisticated online public services in the 2007 European Union ranking, confirm the quality of electronic government in Portugal which is on a par with the best international practices.   
In the BGS evaluation report, Portugal has improved its scores significantly in relation to accessibility and updating of public websites which have been priority areas in the current year.  
*“Improving Technology Utilisation in Electronic Government around the World – 2008” Report published by Brookings Governance Studies (BGS)
 
 Source: GCNELPT

Technological Plan: e.escolinha (e-primary school) places 500,000 computers in primary schools. (www.inicitiva-magalhaes.com)

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In the ambit of the Technological Plan initiative, the e.escolinha programme, half a million primary school pupils will receive laptop computers. This was announced by the Prime Minister in Lisbon on 30 July 2008.

Official site of the Magalhães Initiative: www.iniciativa-magalhaes.com 

The Prime Minister, José Sócrates, stated that the Magalhães «computer is the latest technological generation – notably Inatel’s latest micro processor -, conceived for children to be shock and water resistant»; «essentially, it is a computer for children and for everyone and can be used by from people from 7 to 77 years of age ». The Magalhães computer will be free for pupils registered in the first scale of school social services and will cost 20 euros for children in the second scale. Pupils not covered by school social services will pay 50 euros. The first Magalhães computers will be delivered to schools in September.   

The Magalhães computer will be manufactured in Matosinhos by the JP Sá Couto-Prológica consortium in partnership with the multinational Intel and Luís Cabrita, from Prológica, stated it could be exported to Africa, Latin America and Europe. In the first phase, it will be produced in the current JP Sá Couto factory in Matosinhos but there are plans to build a new factory unit. The Magalhães is a laptop computer enabling access to Internet; it has six hours’ autonomy, is shock and water resistant and works with any operative system, according to João Paulo Sá Couto.  

  The new computer is based on the second version of Inatel’s Classmate, a laptop developed specifically for the education market by the North American multinational. In the first phase of production, 30% of the new computer’s technology will be national but by the end of the year all Magalhães technology except the microprocessor – which will be Inatel’s - should be national.  

The Minister of Education, Maria de Lurdes Rodrigues, explained that the schools will be responsible for identifying pupils interested in joining the e.escolinhas programme. Later, the computers will be delivered to the schools that will then get them to the previously identified children. Unlike the e.school programme, internet connection is optional in the e.escolinha programme.   

The Prime Minister also announced that the Government intends to invest 400 million euros in the area of Education in the next seven months, notably with the installation of internet in all classrooms: «we want every classroom to have internet», he stressed. Furthermore, the broadband speed in schools will be increased to a minimum of 48 megabytes a second, a video surveillance system will be installed in schools to increase security and a new student card will be created, «to do away with money in schools». He stressed that «the biggest investment in the next seven months will be in Education».

Source: GCNELPT 

Technlogical Plan: Decisive step in the creation of the national aeronautic industry

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The agreement between the Portuguese Government and the Brazilian aeornautics company, Embraer, was signed in Lisbon on 26 July

The Brazilian company, Embraer, is the third largest aeronautics construction company in the world. It is going to open two factories in Évora, one for the manufacture of complex metallic structures e.g. wings and their components, with an investment of 100 million euros, and a second for the production of composite materials e.g. tails and their components, worth 48 million euros. They are defined by Embraer as centres of excellence and they will create around 570 direct work posts. The agreement was signed between the Government and the company in the presence of the Prime Minister, José Sócrates, and the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva, in Lisbon on 26 July.
The PM stated that this investment of the world’s third manufacturer of aircraft – after Airbus and Boeing -, «is a landmark in the industry that represents the company’s confidence in the Portuguese economy», and a «technological leap from aircraft maintenance [through OGMA] to the manufacture of airplane components».  
José Sócrates went on to say that the agreement resulted from two years of «difficult negotiations», since the PM’s official visit to Brazil in August 2006 when he challenged Embraer to make this investment in Portugal; it is a «new adventure for Portugal and Brazil», «an alliance to compete in an extremely demanding international market». «Portugal has long wanted an aeronautic cluster and this investment will have a multiplication effect. This adventure is just beginning», he added.  
The Brazilian President stressed the «excellent doorway to the European market» that Portugal represents to Brazilian companies: this agreement «simply demonstrates that Brazil is now showing the same confidence in Portugal that Portugal has always shown in Brazil». Luís Inácio Lula da Silva added that this was an «investment of considerable global potential for the two countries».  
The Minister of the Economy and Innovation, Manuel Pinho, stated that this is «one of the most important projects in recent years» in Portugal, after the modernisation of the automobile industry and the recovery of the petrochemical industry. The setting up of the two factories, which will benefit from National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) funds, implied the launch of a professional training process «similar to that of AutoEuropa» as well as a «great commitment from Evora Municipal Council» who had made the land available at reduced costs, lowering the municipal charges and taxes and facilitating the infrastructures.   
The two airplane component factories will be built in the area of the cities’ aerodrome and the contract with the local authority will be signed on 28 July. Évora was chosen above all due to the region’s potential for access to a skilled workforce and easy access to logistic infrastructures.

Technlogical Plan: Decisive step in the creation of the national aeronautic industry

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The agreement between the Portuguese Government and the Brazilian aeornautics company, Embraer, was signed in Lisbon on 26 July

The Brazilian company, Embraer, is the third largest aeronautics construction company in the world. It is going to open two factories in Évora, one for the manufacture of complex metallic structures e.g. wings and their components, with an investment of 100 million euros, and a second for the production of composite materials e.g. tails and their components, worth 48 million euros. They are defined by Embraer as centres of excellence and they will create around 570 direct work posts. The agreement was signed between the Government and the company in the presence of the Prime Minister, José Sócrates, and the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva, in Lisbon on 26 July.

The PM stated that this investment of the world’s third manufacturer of aircraft – after Airbus and Boeing -, «is a landmark in the industry that represents the company’s confidence in the Portuguese economy», and a «technological leap from aircraft maintenance [through OGMA] to the manufacture of airplane components».  

José Sócrates went on to say that the agreement resulted from two years of «difficult negotiations», since the PM’s official visit to Brazil in August 2006 when he challenged Embraer to make this investment in Portugal; it is a «new adventure for Portugal and Brazil», «an alliance to compete in an extremely demanding international market». «Portugal has long wanted an aeronautic cluster and this investment will have a multiplication effect. This adventure is just beginning», he added.  

The Brazilian President stressed the «excellent doorway to the European market» that Portugal represents to Brazilian companies: this agreement «simply demonstrates that Brazil is now showing the same confidence in Portugal that Portugal has always shown in Brazil». Luís Inácio Lula da Silva added that this was an «investment of considerable global potential for the two countries».  

The Minister of the Economy and Innovation, Manuel Pinho, stated that this is «one of the most important projects in recent years» in Portugal, after the modernisation of the automobile industry and the recovery of the petrochemical industry. The setting up of the two factories, which will benefit from National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) funds, implied the launch of a professional training process «similar to that of AutoEuropa» as well as a «great commitment from Evora Municipal Council» who had made the land available at reduced costs, lowering the municipal charges and taxes and facilitating the infrastructures.   

The two airplane component factories will be built in the area of the cities’ aerodrome and the contract with the local authority will be signed on 28 July. Évora was chosen above all due to the region’s potential for access to a skilled workforce and easy access to logistic infrastructures.

Portugal stands out for its adoption of mobile broadband

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Ericsson ConsumerLab study published on 9 July about the behaviour of Portuguese consumers regarding telecommunication products and services reveals that the Portuguese market stood out for its adhesion to mobile broadband services which exceed the use recorded in other European countries.  
The study also shows the considerable increase in the number of people who own a laptop computer. Between 2005 and 2008, the figure rose from 8% of the population to 34% with the most significant rise among the 15-24 age group (from 9% to 45%).  
Source:GCNELPT